Next Generation: Reversing the Aftermath
by CascadingHope
Summary: Centuries after a nuclear apocalpyse that destroyed the world's nations, humanity is on the verge of extinction. However, four of the nations' descendants take it upon themselves to go back in time to change the past and save the future. But what the four young nations fail to understand is that selfish disputes lead to war, and war, in turn, can only lead to death.
1. Chapter 1: The Dying Planet

Disclaimer: Do not own Hetalia.

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Earth, centuries after the nuclear war destroyed civilization, was still a desolate, dying planet. The bombs initially purged most forms of life, and the great cities and achievements of mankind were obliterated. The nuclear apocalypse completely wiped out the nations and their peoples that had existed before, leaving in its wake barren lands of ashes and immense radiation. A thick layer of pollution in the atmosphere let little sunlight through, and for a long period of time the once-blue-and-green planet looked like a dead one. But it was not complete empty. What was left of humanity after the war struggled on, living through the harsh conditions and managing to keep from going extinct. Humans have always been such persistent creatures.

The few inhabitants that were left had to adapt to the contaminated environments, until eventually, some forms of civilization returned to the humankind. They peopled the continents sparsely, becoming resourceful and never wasting any precious raw material. Since society's old norms had been annihilated, there was no technology, no more skyscrapers, no more convenience. Many people reverted back to primitive modes of living: hunting, gathering, villages, adobe brick houses. Time did not just stop with the end of the old ways, but instead, centuries continued to pass, and soon those old ways of technology and convenience were forgotten. The people just lived simple lives, trying to survive in the dull, ashen planet. But their lives were far from okay.

By the western edge of what used to be known as the Atlantic Ocean was a small settlement of wooden and brick cabins and buildings that served as the village's hub spot. The air was chilly, the sky bleak and gray, the people minding their own business and carrying out their daily chores such as hanging the laundry or chopping the night's meat for dinner or gather the meager amount of plants growing in the vicinity. There was lots of talk between the villagers, who had no choice but to get to know everyone else who lived in the area, but little laughter among adults. The children also had to work around the household to keep everything somewhat tidy and neat, though they were very dirty themselves.

It was just another typical village along the coast, another village that had to fend off the animals mutated by the radiation or inspect their own food for contamination carefully. Disease was common, and the life spans rarely went over the age of twenty-five for females and thirty for males. Just an ordinary town.

Except that a traveler was passing through. The village hardly ever came into contact with humans who did not live within a few miles distance away, and so travelers were quite extraordinary indeed. Normally there would be more excitement about a newcomer, but this time their visitor was only a young boy, not over the age of twelve, and so the townspeople dismissed him as another abandoned soul, wandering from place to place to find a suitable one to die in peace. No one could afford to take him in, so they ignored him, hoping he would not beg. They didn't need another mouth to feed.

But the boy didn't come to beg. No, he was here on his own mission, one he had set out to do for a long time now. He wore a dark cloak over his head and kept to himself, wary of bandits and crooks, but since he didn't look like he had anything of value, he wasn't bothered. Soon enough he found the local tavern, where the men came to exchange information or get out of the house for a change. Walking past the tables of men who shared grim conversations about the year's unlucky, poor harvest, the boy made his way to the bartender.

At first the bartender pretended not to notice his presence, but the boy cleared his throat three times and removed his cloak to reveal short blonde hair and hazel eyes. "Whadda you want, kid?" the bartender said, obviously annoyed.

"One glass of milk, sir," the boy replied evenly.

"Milk? Do you know what that'll cost ya? Good cows don't come by that easily!" the bartender chided, about to turn away. But the blonde-haired boy placed a small brown sack the size of his palm on the counter, causing the bartender to raise his eyebrow. "What's this?" he asked as he opened it and peer in. His eyes widened, and a small grin grew on his face. "This...is this real salt?"

"Of course," the boy answered, smirking. "So do I get my milk or what?"

"R-right away, kid," he stuttered. Hurriedly, he whipped out a wooden cup and poured him his milk. Once he handed him the cup, he took the sack and shoved it in his pocket. "Thanks for the business, kid!"

The boy nodded and rolled his eyes as he turned away, before searching the tavern intently. The first three villages had produced no results, but this one was different, he knew, he could feel it in his bones. What he was looking for was here, and his search would come to an end. Then his gazed zeroed in on the back corner of tavern, where a tiny table was tucked away, isolated from everyone else. Another adolescent boy was seated there, sitting all by himself. Straightening up, the boy ambled over, pulling up a chair next to the other boy, startling him. He plopped down into the chair and set his cup on the table while the other just blinked at him and tilted his head.

"Hello," the blonde-haired boy smiled politely as he analyzed the other boy's featured. He was just about the same height and age, with big, bright blue eyes and sandy blonde hair.

"Hello..." the other boy said reluctantly, still surprised by his out-rightness.

"My name's Myles," the blonde-haired boy offered, trying to stay as pleasant as possible. "What's yours?"

"I'm Ryker," he replied, frowning.

"What's wrong?" Myles asked, unsettled by the those blue eyes that just stared back at him, as if puzzled.

"Oh, nothing, you just have really thick eyebrows. It's kinda strange," Ryker answered, chuckling to himself. Myles, doing his best to let that comment go over his head, maintained his sociable attitude, going into the routine he had done many times before after finding a possible candidate for what he was looking for.

"So where are your parents?" Myles ventured.

"I, um, don't have any," Ryker said uncertainly, unsure whether or not to answer truthfully.

"Neither do I," Myles grinned, before pressing more. So far so good. "How long have you lived around here?"

Now Ryker hesitated. "You're really nosy, aren't you?" he narrowed his eyes. "You ask a lot of questions. I never gave you permission to sit here."

"I was just wondering," Myles told him innocently, "Never heard of making friends before?"

"I guess I've been here for a while," Ryker repudiated vaguely. Now Myles was opportunistic. So far, Ryker met all of his criteria: no parents, more skeptical than your average twelve-year-old.

"So how old are you?" Myles asked casually, hoping for a certain answer, sipping his milk.

"Twelve. Same as you, I think," Ryker huffed, irritated.

"I'm not twelve. And I don't think you are either," Myles said, a sly grin tugging on the corners of his lips. "So how old are you really?"

"Why would I lie about my age?" Annoyance was plain in his voice now.

"Because," Myles said, dropping to a low whisper, "Because, you're like me, because you _don't_ age."

Ryker's eyes widened and his jaw dropped for a moment. "You...you don't age either?" he whispered back, alarmed. "How did you know...?"

"I could sense it. You could feel something off about me too, right?"

"Then...do you know..." Ryker started, unsure how to phrase his question.

"What we are? Yes. We're not just immortal. We're nations." Myles spoke with unwavering confidence and pride.

"Nations?" Ryker frowned at the unfamiliar word.

"That's what they used to call people like us. We're the personifications of the people who live in our lands. Before the nuclear apocalypse, they were known as nations," Myles explained. He knew the idea would be hard for Ryker to grasp, since he had no concept of national boundaries or governments or distinct cultures. Civilization was just too primitive for all that.

"That's just a myth. Life's always been like this. There wasn't anything before it," Ryker brushed off bitterly.

"No, it's more than myth and legend! It was real, technology, electricity, everything," Myles insisted. "There used to be enormous villages and huge buildings called skyscrapers, and automobiles."

"Okay, you're just crazy," Ryker sighed. "I thought you'd be able to help me to figure out whatever I am, but you're just delusional."

"It's true, I'm telling you! We're descendants from those nations that prospered before the nuclear crisis. Centuries ago, humans practically ruled the world! People didn't have to live like this." Myles gestured to the dreary tavern.

"Why should I believe you? I don't even know you," Ryker snapped.

"Long ago, my islands used to be called the nation of Britain," Myles answered seriously, "He's my ancestor. And you, your land used to be called America. I know all of this because the one called Britain left behind a journal, along with some important documents."

"Documents? There's no way paper could have survived that long..."

"By itself, yes, but with magic, it's possible."

"Wait, wait, hold on. First you're telling me that we're descended from nation that supposedly existed hundreds of years ago, and now you're saying you can use magic?" Ryker sounded irked, not believe the nerve of this guy. "Do you think I'm just some stupid kid?"

Myles sighed. He held out his palm above the table and muttered something unintelligible. All of a sudden his fingertips began to emit a soft green light, concealed to the rest of the tavern by their backs. Ryker inhaled sharply, and Myles lowered his hand as the green light faded away. "See? Believe me now?"

"Okay, I have to admit that was way cool," Ryker grinned. "But that doesn't prove the myths about the old world."

"Look around yourself, Ryker. These people, they're your people. So are the other villages on this continent. As their nation, it's your duty to make sure they can thrive. But they're not. No one on this planet is. Humans can't live like this anymore. We're going to go extinct," Myles asserted with a grave tone.

"Extinct? You don't know that."

"Yes I do. The pollution gets worse and worse every year. Soon the air will be so thick that sunlight can't come through to the surface. Without sunlight, life will cease to exist. That is a fact. Our people will perish," he claimed with poignancy.

"Even if what you're saying is true, we can't stop it. There's nothing we can do, it's too late to save the atmosphere," Ryker said despondently.

"But there is something we can do," Myles continued more urgently. "We can stop the nuclear crisis from ever happening. We can undo this future. We can save humanity, all we have to do is go back in time before the nuclear war."

Now Ryker stared at him in utter disbelief. "You really are crazy! One, it's still only a myth, and two, that's not even possible!"

"Weren't you paying any attention? I can use magic like my ancestors could! There's a spell that can take us back to that era, and we can stop the nuclear war from starting in the first place! It's our duty to our people, to humankind. You want proof about the old world? Well, I can take you there to see it in person."

Ryker hesitated again. "You do realize what you're asking me to do, right? That's a pretty big risk for me. I'm still not sure whether or not I believe you!"

"I know this is all a bit far-fetched, but what have you got to lose? I'm guessing you're at least a century and a half old like me, right? Do you want to keep living like this? This is your chance to do something to help your people for a change," Myles maintained ardently. His own eyes shone with his determination and zeal, and Ryker found it hard not to trust him. What he was saying was true to some degree. Ryker had been wandering his lands for many decades, always feeling as if something important was missing. What this it? This adventure Myles was offering him? It really did sound like his chance to make something of his life, to be...to be hero even.

"I really hope you can put your money where your mouth is," he replied, a small smile growing on his lips, "Because if you're lying to me, you're going to regret it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Myles grinned back. "So you're in?"

Ryker nodded. "So how does this work?"

"First we have to go back to my place, to my land. That's where I can make the gateway to the past. Plus, there's two more of us already there, waiting for my return," Myles explained.

"There's more of us?" Ryker couldn't help but feel a bit excited. He had thought he was the only immortal walking this planet, doomed to be alone for eternity or something.

"Yes. We should head back as soon as possible. The trip will take at the very least a year if we don't make any unnecessary stops."

"A year continuous?" echoed Ryker, incredulous. "Sounds like a lot of walking."

"Oh, we won't be walking the whole way," chuckled Myles. "We'll be going by ship."

"Ship? You mean, across the ocean? You came all this way across the ocean?"

"Of course, even my ancestors were mastered of the sea," he laughed heartily. Phase one of his plan to restore the future had been successful. Now onto phase two, which was going to be much, much harder: reversing Earth's devastating history.

**Fourteen Months Later**

Ryker watched as Myles drew his large, special circle into the stony ground of the plateau, making careful, precise marks with his piece of charcoal. This was the last of his preparations for opening the gateway that would send them back into the past before the nuclear war started. Myles had tried to explain the principles and the logic his magical reasoning was based on, but after a few failed attempts by Ryker to understand, he gave up and just told Ryker that he would take care of it.

And now Ryker had a terrible jittery feeling inside his stomach as he watched in anticipation. Tonight was the night. They were actually going to do it, they were actually going into the past. He had no idea what to expect, even after long nights staying up late as his imagination took off, picturing all sorts of visions of the old world. Would it look as ashen as it did now? Myles had told him that there had once been seven billion people on the planet. That was almost incomprehensible to Ryker. In fact, more than once he had suspected Myles of making up all these "facts," but when Myles showed him his source, he became convinced. Apparently, the Britain of the old world had been able to shelter a worn, tattered journal of what the Earth had been like all those centuries ago. It was almost like a fairy-tale, the things that were written in it. But what was most important about that journal was the list of events leading up to the nuclear crisis and dates that would help Myles calculate what time exactly to jump back to.

Just as Myles was adding the last marks of his circle, their other two companions joined them at the top of the plateau, all ready for the coming journey, just as anxious as he. "There you two are!" Ryker exasperated. "For a moment I thought you'd be late and we'd have to do this tomorrow night instead."

"Oh please, you know we'd never miss this for the world," Kiera smirked, trying to mask her own inner butterflies.

"I'd be more worried about Myles messing up the gateway," Mina cocked her head to the side as she gazed at the charcoal marks.

The two girl nations had already been on Myles's islands before Ryker had arrive. Apparently Myles had been searching for fellow nations worldwide in the hopes of finding some that could help his save the their future. The four of them happened to be the only nations brave enough and healthy enough to make the journey; the few others were to weak and underdeveloped to try to follow Myles on his mission. But he had found Kiera on the boot-shaped peninsula a few years ago and brought her to his islands to begin to set the stage for his ultimate mission. She was an out-going girl with an upfront personality and wasn't afraid to take a chance. Her stunningly golden-brown eyes shone brightly against her deep brown hair that was normally pulled back into a ponytail. One of the strange things about her appearance was her wayward curl that stuck out on the side of her head, but she liked it there. She often had a knack for lightening the mood, her wide smile just too contagious sometimes.

Once Kiera had settled into his islands, Myles had set out east to continue phase one, and came across Mina, a more enigmatic girl with a reserved air about her. She was definitely the most jaded and guarded of the four, cautious with those around her and reluctant to give others her trust, but eventually Mina came around and opened up to her fellow young nations. Her dark, auburn hair was usually tied in a set of buns atop her head, and her mysterious brown eyes were often unreadable, for she was an expert at hiding her emotions. Since they had all been together for some months now, and since they had all been brought together for the same grave reasons, Ryker, Myles, Kiera, and Mina had learned to respect and put faith in one another. With their primary goals in mind, the four actually had not many problems cooperating.

"I've triple-checked everything," Myles assured them, gesturing for them to gather around in the middle of his circular spell. "Once the sun sets completely, there's no turning back, okay?"

"It's already too late to turn back now," Kiera pointed out, "We're doing this no matter what."

"I feel...unprepared," Mina admitted, "You sure we don't need to bring anything?"

"Yes. We can't bring too much through the gateway. All we can take are the clothes on our backs and this," Myles held up the old journal from which he had learned as much about the old world and the nuclear war as he could. "Once we make it to the past, we can rewrite history and save our peoples. But..." he trailed off anxiously, and the rest of them knew what he was thinking about. The four had discussed it previously: what would happen to them if they stopped the war?

"We can't have doubts now," Ryker shook his head. "We have no other choice. It's imperative that we prevent the nuclear weapons from dispatch. Or else our world is lost either way."

"You're right," Myles said shakily, clearing his thoughts.

"Let's do this," Kiera nodded, taking her designated place on the circle as the others did as well. Myles stood in the center, with the other three creating a triangle around him. After taking a deep breath, Myles crouched down and put both of his palms on the very middle of his charcoal circle, and then he began to whisper his incantation.

As he began to speak louder and faster, the marks on the ground began to glow and radiate a bright green light. At the sight of the luminescence, Ryker's throat went dry with apprehension. _This is really it,_ he thought nervously. His heart beat in a mixture of exhilaration and unease, but he didn't dare move from his spot. Myles's chanting picked up at a quicker pace, until suddenly there was blinding flash of green light and an earsplitting _BANG!,_ like thunder booming, and Ryker felt his stomach lurch violently as he was sucked into the gateway to the past. And then he was gone.

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From the Author: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it! Reviews are love 3


	2. Chapter 2: A Dynamic Society

Disclaimer: Do not own Hetalia.

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The first thing Myles noticed once the bright light around him began to fade was the noise. His ears picked up on so many unfamiliar sounds: ringing, beeping, chiming. Then the green light dimmed altogether and his vision cleared. And his mouth fell open in his wonder. He was standing on a very small grassy plain surrounded by so many other humans. People walked on the grass, on the white, paved sidewalks, strange machines rolled over the asphalt roads, children climbed on the playground of the park. He had just never seen a place so...inhabited by humans before. All around him massive buildings rose up from the ground, thousands of feet tall. And the buildings were constructed of glass and metal rather than bricks and logs. Pedestrians passing by held up tiny devices to their heads and talked into them, as if having a conversation with another person.

Remembering what he was doing there, Myles looked around for this companions, and sure enough, Ryker, Kiera, and Mina were behind him, gazing in awe at their surroundings. "This is amazing!" Myles exclaimed ecstatically.

"You...actually did it," Ryker murmured in disbelief, his blue eyes wide.

"Hey guys...look up at the sky," Kiera said in a low voice full of marvel. The rest of them tilted their heads back to stare upwards, and Myles was once again stunned into silence.

"It's blue!" Mina could help but burst out. It was so different compared to the gray, ashy pollution that filled the sky during their era. What's more, they could feel the warm sunlight on their skin, a soothing, sensational feeling that was totally new to them. A moment passed in which the four were still taking in everything around them, using their senses in entirely new ways. Finally, Mina spoke again. "We...we've miscalculated," she whispered, her voice wavering in apprehension.

"What do you mean?" Kiera asked, biting her lip.

"Look at us! We don't fit in at all. Our clothes, we're not dressed properly. And we don't know how to fit into this society...it's too advanced!" Mina sputtered. Myles looked down at his own clothes. She was right, all four of them wore garments that did not conform to this time period. They probably appeared to be homeless children wandering the streets. He could understand her panic; they didn't know anything about this time period or its technology.

"Okay, first things first, then," Ryker took a deep breath, "We need to blend in."

"We have no money," Mina pointed out. "I don't even know what kind of currency they use here..."

"Where is 'here' by the way?" Kiera threw out the question, shaking her head.

"I'm...not exactly sure. I think we're in the country known as America, Ryker's ancestor," Myles told them, "But I'm not sure which town...or city, I guess."

"America..." Ryker echoed, taking another good look around with a vague sense of pride.

"Over there, look," Kiera pointed between two buildings in an alley where clotheslines hung from multiple windows, drying shirts and pants. "We can take those. I'm not a big fan of stealing, but we need the clothes."

"Right," Myles replied, disapproval in his voice, but seeing no other choice. The four walked to the sidewalk, avoiding other people out of shyness, and Kiera was just about to step onto the asphalt absentmindedly, but Ryker pulled her back by the arm just seconds before the speedy car raced by, causing them to jump, startled.

"Be careful, that almost hit you," Ryker warned Kiera, who was still in a bit of shock.

"Then how do we get across?" Mina frowned as the traffic continued to drive pass in front of them. Myles glanced around until he spotted two parallel white lines going across the road from one sidewalk to the other. Other pedestrians waited at both ends, as if expecting their turn to cross.

"Come on," he said, gesturing for the others to follow him to the crosswalk. They waited at the back of the group, until they noticed that the lights that hung on the tall poles over the road changed from green to red, and a signal on the other side of the road flashed a white figure. The pedestrians stepped onto the road nonchalantly, and so the four did the same until they were safely on the other side. Then they continued to the alley Kiera had pointed out earlier, and after making sure the coast was clear, each of them selected decent fitting clothes. Kiera unhooked a plain brown blouse and a black skirt while Mina picked a white tank top and a red jacket with denim pants. Myles randomly chose a checkered button-up shirt with jeans as Ryker took a blue T-shirt and another pair of jeans. After taking turns changing clothes behind two concealing blankets, the four compared their new outfits to other passer-byers and decided that they did not stand out at least.

"Now what?" Kiera asked, dusting off her blouse.

"We need to learn everything we can about this era. We need to find a place where they keep information...I think Britain called it a 'library' in his journal," Myles suggested.

"Alright, then we need to figure out how to get there," Ryker nodded. They waited by the alley until a pleasant-looking lady passed by, to whom Kiera asked politely for the directions to the nearest library, which thankfully was only a few blocks away. Even during the short walk, the four were stilled astounded at the sights along way. There were all kinds of artisan shops, restaurants, and office buildings. When they passed a souvenir shop, small key chains and postcards in the front windows read "Washington D.C."

"Washington D.C." Mina said aloud after stopping for a brief moment to look at a particularly pretty card.

"That's America's capital!" Myles exclaimed brusquely. "Wow, I meant to send us near the nation's capital city but I never thought I'd pinpoint the exactly location." He smiled at himself with pride at his own excellence, and Ryker chuckled. After a few more blocks, they finally saw a large, more prestigious edifice compared to those around it, with a big sign reading, "Cleveland Park Library." Since it was a public library, the doors were open to all and the four walked right in to find a vast collection of books before them. Again, Myles was caught dumbfounded by the rows and rows of shelves holding innumerable texts.

"Oh my...there's just so much to read," Mina murmured, already being drawn to the nearest shelf.

"Okay guys, remember why we're here," Myles reminded them, "Find a book that you think would be the most useful for our mission. We need to learn everything about this time period as we can before we can make a plan."

"Right," the other three simultaneously before splitting up. Mina was the first to select a book out of the millions that were lined up. Sagely choosing an encyclopedia, she went right to work at a deserted table in the back corner away from others so she could absorb the infinite information in peace. Kiera had found a book about modern technology and soon joined Mina silently. Ryker sat down a few minutes later with a World History textbook to learn more about the nations and past wars. Myles was the last to sit down, but once he had had found exactly what he was looking for, an informative book about foreign diplomacy and the numerous types of body politics, he was quick to get started. And they remained like that, reading intently and familiarizing themselves with this era. Whenever one of them came across a bit of information that particularly significant, they would share their findings with the others.

"Hey, guys, check this out! There's this cool thing called a telephone that enables a person to have a conversation with someone across the country, or even the planet," Kiera told them with amazed enthusiasm. "And there's this other thing, called the Internet, that supposedly connects the globe's databases and grants access to information from all over the world!"

"Wow, even though we've gone back into the past, it seems like we've jumped into the future," Myles commented in stupefaction.

"Hey, Myles," Ryker grinned, looking up from his book, "In the late seventeen hundreds, my ancestor beat yours during the American Revolution. Since America was raised by Britain, does that mean we're related?"

"Possibly," he replied, ignoring the former statement.

"There's also a world map on the first page," Ryker continued, "Look." The other three leaned over to take a good look at the spread of the current nations.

"That's where I'm from," Mina pointed to a large country in the eastern continent. "China..."

"And there's my peninsula. I guess Italy's my ancestor," Kiera smiled.

Then the four went back to indulging themselves into the words on the pages of their books, occasionally remarking on the novelties of the age. About three hours later, Ryker spoke up again. "There was another nuclear crisis before this one, called the Cold War between Russia and America. Nuclear missiles could have been launched, but the Soviet Union toppled in 1991. But since then, many nations have begun building up their stocks of nuclear warheads," he said uneasily.

"I think it's time we came up with a plan then," Myles sighed. "We need to get started as soon as possible now that we know a little more about this time period."

"So how long until the war begins, according to the journal?" Mina asked.

Myles placed the journal in the center of the table for all them to see and flipped open to a page near the middle. "Today is August 31, 2043. Tomorrow, September 1st, there will be a world meeting held in the American conference building in Washington D.C., which is where we are now. This meeting will last for three days. According to Britain, the meeting goes as it usually does, with nothing out of the ordinary. But after that, there will be an exclusive meeting of only the more powerful nations. That's when things begin to blow out."

"What do you mean?" Kiera furrowed her brows.

"About this time, the governments of all of the nations are especially strained due to political strife and increasing economic depression. During the meeting, a British passenger plane is shot down while flying over Spain. The actual reason behind that is unknown, because Britain mainly writes his infuriated reaction in the journal, and doesn't really know himself."

"That's awful!" Mina exclaimed. "It gets blown right out of the sky?"

"Yes. But that's not all. An American envoy is attacked by the hostile destitute in Russia, in which two American ambassadors are killed. The day after, the meeting between the nations becomes chaotic, and more terrible acts whip each of them up into a frenzy. On September 13, 2043, the war begins."

"Alright, so how do we stop it from happening?" Ryker inquired, voice somber and serious.

"I'm...not exactly sure," Myles admitted lamely.

"Well, I think we need to meet these nations. Think about it, our very presence changes the whole outcome of the meetings, right? If we show up and surprise them, they'll be so preoccupied with shock that they won't have time to wage a war," Kiera suggested.

"But that won't stop the plane from being shot down. Or the envoy from being attacked," Mina frowned. "But it's a start. We really should meet them."

"Right, so when we do meet them, I don't think we should tell them about how the nuclear war ultimately ends, and how the future turns out," Myles said with careful thought.

"Why not? If they know the consequences, they'll be less likely to launch the missiles," Ryker objected.

"I don't think so," he shook his head. "The nations knew full well the effects the nuclear warheads would have, but they launched them anyway. If we told them about the nuclear war, they might blame each other once they find out who's against who. We would be catalyzing the war instead of stopping it."

"We need to get into that exclusive meeting," Mina said confidently, "There's no way the four of us can save that plane or the envoy, but we might be able to mediate the conflicts from within the conference. If we can calm them down enough, maybe they can reach a peaceful agreement."

"They're not going to let kids like us walk right into the meeting, and even if they did, they wouldn't listen to us," Myles said frankly.

"Maybe not as kids, but as nations we have a much louder voice," Ryker smirked knowingly. "I think we should combine Mina and Kiera's plans. First we meet our ancestral nations and then we talk our way into the meeting to make sure everyone keeps a cool head."

"And we can use Britain's journal to guide us along the way, so we know what's coming," Mina nodded.

"Okay, then we'd better get going," Myles said, standing up. "I guess the easiest nation to get a hold of here would be America. Our first stop is the Capital Building."

* * *

The four of them had been walked down street after street, trying to make their way to their destination with slow progress. They had been using a tourist's map of the city for reference, but Washington D.C. was bigger than they had expected. Just as Kiera's feet were beginning to ache, they were heading past a bus stop when a long bus pulled up by the sidewalk next to them and its two doors swung open invitingly. People who had been lingering around piled in, and four stopped and peered inside curiously.

"Coming aboard?" the female driver asked good-naturedly, noticing their stares.

"Oh, um, sure!" Myles answered, stepping inside followed by Mina, Ryker and Kiera.

"Fifty cents per person, please," she told them, causing Myles to stop in his tracks and shift uncomfortably.

"We-we don't have any money," Mina said with a mixture of sadness and embarrassment.

"Oh," the woman replied, a bit uncertainly herself. She regarded the four juveniles carefully, then sighed and said, "Well, that's alright. Just take a seat, this one's on the house, I guess." Her expression was one of pity and sympathy, finding herself unable to throw a few kids off her bus.

The four thanked her graciously and hastily took their seats near the back of the bus to leave the other passengers undisturbed as they admired and marveled the sights through the windows as bus drove by various sights-to-see. The tall, pointed Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial especially caught Ryker's attention. After the few stops, Myles pointed out a large, white, domed building that stood tall over a vast pool of water. "That's where we're going," Myles whispered, chuckling when he saw the twinkle in Ryker's eyes.

"That's so awesome," he gushed with pride.

The bus stopped a few blocks away from the nation's Capitol building, and the four thanked the driver once more as they stepped off. Without another moment's hesitation, they made their way toward their esteemed destination. Once they had finally reached the entrance to the prominent edifice, they found themselves facing yet another problem. "How are we going to get in? I doubt they just let kids like us waltz right in there. I mean, there's also the problem of terrorists, so it probably has very high security," Mina sighed.

"There's our ticket in," Kiera answered, pointing to a crowd of school children gathering on the steps of the entrance on a class field trip. The four slyly moved to the back of the group and entered the building past the security unchecked. Once they were inside, the teacher began to take roll on individual students, so they broke away from the group of children while the teacher and tour guides were looking in the other direction. But, now that they were inside, they wandered around, avoiding officials who might send them away while venerating the breath-taking architecture and design. Just the inside of the dome itself was impeccably remarkable.

Soon enough they came across a receptionist at her desk, busily signing paperwork and answering phone calls. After waiting for her to get off the phone, Myles, Ryker, Kiera and Mina went up to the desk with courteous smiles on their faces.

"Are you four lost? Do you need help finding your tour group?" she asked, assuming they were with a field trip.

"No, ma'am," Myles shook his head slightly, "We're looking for..." And then Myles was unsure of what to say. Should her outright tell her that they were looking for the personification of America? Would that be too suspicious? It might be. What was the human name Britain often referred to America as in his journal? It was... "Um, we're looking for Mr. Alfred F. Jones."

The receptionist blinked. "Oh, I'm afraid he's in a conference with the president and the vice president at the moment. I'm afraid he just doesn't have time to meet with children. You'd need an appointment much more in advanced," she stated indifferently, waving them off. "You should go find your teacher, I can send for someone to help you."

"You don't understand," Mina objected, but then faltered, not knowing what argument to use to persuade the lady.

"What don't I understand?" she frowned, a little annoyed at their persistence.

"We're..." Kiera started, but trailed off.

"Actually," Ryker spoke up with unerring self-assurance and coolness in his words, "I'm his son."

Now the receptionist scrunched her brows at him. "You're Mr. Jones's son? I wasn't aware that he had one."

"What?" Ryker said, pretending to be offended, "You must have heard of Ryker F. Jones! My father said that he talks about me all the time. Apparently you aren't very attentive. That's not a good trait for a receptionist."

"Excuse me?" she retorted, affronted by his attitude.

"I just might have to tell my father about this. Obviously, you can't even see the resemblance between my father and myself. When he finds out about how you treated me to ignorantly, he's not going to be happy at all," Ryker continued with a mock steely edge to his voice.

The lady blanched at the implied threat that was just too convincing. "Oh, no, that won't be necessary! Ryker, you say? I just remembered Mr. Jones mentioning you once or twice. It's a very nice name, unique. You do bare quite a resemblance to him," she amended in a panicky manner.

"Well, thank you for finally remembering," Ryker rolled his eyes for effect. "Now my dad told me wait for him outside of the conference room with my friends. Now if you'll be so kind as to show me where that is..."

The receptionist quickly pointed her pen down one of the long halls leading away from the room toward a lavish door with an official seal printed on its front. "Thank you," Ryker nodded then lead the way towards the door, with Myles, Kiera and Mina quick to follow.

After the four decided to sit against the hallway's wall just outside the conference room, Myles laughed quietly knowing the receptionist was out of earshot, giving Ryker a high-five. "That was some creative improv back there," he grinned.

"Thanks, I always thought I was a great actor," Ryker chuckled back.

"So now we wait," Mina said to no one in particular as she leaned her head on the wall.

"Now we wait," Myles nodded, criss-crossing his legs.

They waited for about ten minutes before getting quite antsy in anticipation. But moments later, the door before them swung open, and its opener was waving goodbye to the people still within the room, his back turned to the four. It wasn't until after he had shut the door closed that he turned around, and when he noticed them sitting there, his jaw dropped.

Ryker also gaped at the man before him. The two really did share so much of a likeness that he had to be the one they were looking for. Their bright blue eyes were the same, and the only difference between their sandy-blonde hair was the man's rebellious cowlick atop his head. But this man was undoubtedly Ryker's ancestor nation.

He was America.

* * *

From the Author: I know the beginning has been a little slow since the actual plot hasn't begun yet, but with these next few chapters, I promise the pace will pick itselt up dramatically, but the introductions still need to happen, so bear with me! Thanks for reading and please review 3 I really appreciate it!


	3. Chapter 3: The Ancestral Nations

Disclaimer: Do not own Hetalia!

* * *

"Who...who are you?" the American nation blinked through his glasses out of surprise as he stared at the four children before him. Then his gaze zeroed in on Myles. "You look just like Britain! You've got the bushy eyebrows and everything!" Myles smiled weakly, unsure whether to take that as a compliment or not, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he was cut off by the older nation. "And that curl," America continued, looking at Kiera. "Are you like, Italy's sister or something?" Before letting her reply, he turned to Mina. "And you could be related to China!" Mina attempted to speak, but by then America's focus had turned to Ryker, rendering the both of them speechless. "And you...look like me," America finished tentatively.

And still Ryker could not muster up any words in response, but just gawked back at his ancestor, the former occupant of his land. There was an awkward pause, and so Myles finally took his chance to speak. "H-hello, Mr. America," he began shyly, offering to shake hands.

To his relief, America did shake his hand, a broad smile on his face. "So, who exactly are you guys?" he asked excitedly.

At this there was another silence. The four suddenly realized how unprepared they were. They hadn't even planned what they would say when they finally met their ancestors. Each of them knew not to speak of the war...but beyond that, they were clueless. Mina and Myles exchanged anxious glances, trying to figure out what to say, but before they could say anything, Kiera burst out, "We're nations from the future!"

Myles put his palm to his forehead, Ryker's jaw dropped, and Mina hissed, "Kiera!"

"Well, you guys weren't saying anything," Kiera snapped back in a low voice.

"The...the future?" America echoed in incredulity. Myles and Mina bit their lips, fearing for the worst reaction once that information settled in. But, as it turned out, there was no need for worry. "Wow, that is so wicked cool!"

"Cool?" Myles repeated, confused.

"Yeah, that's awesome!" America said elatedly. "I've met an alien and Britain's even talked about his magical imaginary friends, but no one's ever said anything about meeting people from the future!"

"I guess it is pretty cool," Ryker agreed slowly, a grin growing on his face. "I think it's cool to be meeting a nation from the past!"

"Oh, this is going to be so great! We totally have to hang out and do all sorts of fun stuff! And I have to introduce you to the others, oh man, they're never going to believe me when I tell them!" The American was almost bouncing in his toes in excitement, and it was impossible not to catch his cheerful mood. "Actually, there's a world meeting here in a few days, so the others will be flying in sometime tonight."

"Perfect timing," Kiera giggled, as if it had been coincidental.

"Yeah! So, what's the future like?" America inquired animatedly.

"Um..." Ryker and Myles looked at each other quickly, before Ryker replied, "It's...different, I guess."

"Are there flying cars, or robotic servants yet? I bet it's so high-tech!"

"...I wouldn't really say that," Mina answered vaguely.

"This place is nothing like it is during my time, the culture is so amazing," Ryker said. "I'd love to see more of it."

"There's no one better to show you around than me," America laughed, a twinkle in his eye, "C'mon, I'll take you to all the coolest places before we go to the airport later and meet some of the other nations."

* * *

Neither of the four had ever so much fun in their entire lifetimes, which is to say, a very, very long time. First, America took them to an arcade, where they had their first experiences playing video games. Kiera especially liked Dance Dance Revolution, Ryker got to shoot zombies on one of the machines, while Mina and Myles learned how to play air hockey. Next, America was able to rent out the laser tag floor of the arcade for an hour, something the children had never even imagined before. Even though America was obviously the best shot, they all still had a blast, and Ryker eventually gained a knack for using the laser guns. Such time for leisure had never been known to any of them, since they spent most of their lives struggling to keep their people alive. The technology of the games was astounding.

After that, America treated them to dinner, introducing a food called a hamburger. For some reason, Ryker found that he could not get enough of the savory goodness, and ate almost as much as his ancestor did, chugging soda between burgers. For dessert, he bought them each a cone of ice cream of whatever flavor they wanted. Ryker immediately went for chocolate, a rare delicacy in the future, while Myles was brave enough to try a pale green flavor called "mint," whatever that was. Mina scrunched her eyebrows at bright blue colored ice cream labeled "Blue Moon," and said to herself, "What an odd color for food."

While they sat just outside the shop with their ice cream, Mina and Kiera sharing a banana split, America said curiously, "You guys act like you've never had ice cream before. Do they not have ice cream in the future?"

"Not really," Myles said disappointedly, "But I wish we did, because this stuff's amazing!"

"You all seem pretty impressed with Washington D.C.," America chuckled. "You don't have to pretend to be wowed though. This is all pretty lame compared to where you guys come from, huh?"

"We're not pretending," Mina smiled genuinely, "This time period is so fascinating!"

"Yeah, I had so much fun today," Ryker agreed wholeheartedly.

Kiera, who was somewhat distracted from the conversation, was staring toward the west at the sky. "Doesn't the sunset look beautiful? I love that orangy-pink color."

"Speaking of sunset," America said, as if just remembering something, "It's time we get to the airport. I haven't told the others about you guys yet, so I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!"

The older nation was somehow able to get a hold of a limo, a long, black, luxurious car that once again stunned the four children. After they had all piled in, Kiera picked up one of the glass bottles under the seats. "What's this?" she asked, trying to uncork it with her hands, but America snatched it quickly.

"This had alcohol in it, dude. You can have some when you're older. Iggy would totally chew me out if he caught me giving wine to kids," he chortled as he fiddled with the limo's stereo system.

During the drive, Ryker found the pop music that America blasted to be so invigorating. The strange musical instruments used to create the fast-beat sounds made him want to get up and dance, and he probably would have if they weren't in a car. Once the limo pulled up in front of the large airport, the four watched the massive airplanes fly in and out in wonder while America dialed on his cell phone. After a moment, he began to have a conversation, and it was only then did Ryker realize that he was speaking to someone on the other end. "Hey, Britain!" he began ecstatically, "Where are you? Just getting out of the terminal? Great! Meet me right outside the front entrance. I'll be waiting, don't worry you won't miss me. Who else is with you, by the way? Cool, tell them they can come too!" With that, he ended the call and put away his phone. Grinning at the four, he said, "They're on their way out here, guys! This is going to be great!"

After waiting for a few moments, America caught sight of someone particular exiting the revolving doors of the airport, and swung open the limo's door. "Wait here until I give the cue, okay?" he said as he stepped out. He left the door open, and so the four kid nations practically pressed their faces against the tinted windows to watch, listening in the conversations. Just outside the limo, America was talking to a tall, blonde man with radiant greens eyes and thick eyebrows, and Myles could only assume him to be his ancestor as he gazed at him in awe. Following just behind Britain was another fair-skinned man with blonde hair gelled back neatly and soft blue eyes.

"Who's that?" Ryker whispered, but Myles just shrugged. And behind him came a Caucasian man with light brown hair, a wide smile, and one wayward curl. Kiera's eyes lit up when she saw him.

"It's Italy," she murmured happily, almost bouncing out of her seat in anticipation. The next nation standing next to Italy had short, black hair, brown eyes and an unreadable expression. Mina wondered if that was China, she certainly looked more like this nation than any of the others. But then another Asian nation came out of the airport's revolving doors. He had longer hair tied into a ponytail that fell over his shoulder, and Mina instantly felt as if she had had a connection to him. He just had to be China.

"So how come you went through the trouble to get us a fancy limousine?" Britain asked, raising an eyebrow at America.

"Maybe I just felt like doing something nice for my big bro and the other nations!" laughed America heartily.

"I doubt that, aru," China said matter-of-factly, "So what's the real reason?"

"Remember when I first found Tony, and none of you guys believed me?" America began.

"Don't tell me you've found another alien," sighed the blonde-haired nation with a strong accent.

"Nope, it's even better," America answered, practically jumping up and down.

"Ve! Better than an alien?" Italy exclaimed, sharing his enthusiasm.

"Well, out with then, what did you find?" Britain pressed, wanting to get this over with.

"It would be better if I just showed you. C'mon out guys!"

Right on cue, Ryker, Myles, Kiera, and Mina hopped out of the limo, taking their place next to America with optimistic grins on their faces. The American laughed when he saw the others' faces; they were wide eyes, stunned into silence, their mouths hanging open.

"What the bloody hell..." Britain mumbled in shock. Myles studied him carefully, taking in all of his ancestor's stature and lineaments.

"You have a curl too!" Italy said cheerfully, stepping up to Kiera and crouching down to her height.

"I'm Kiera," she giggled, "Nice to meet you!"

As the two shook hands, Italy asked, "Ve, are you my sister?"

"I guess I am!"

"Mein Gott..." the blonde whispered, and Italy, hearing him, turned to him jovially.

"Hey, Germany! Meet my new sister!"

"Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Germany," Kiera curtsied politely.

"There's another one?" was all Germany could utter.

Meanwhile, Mina was trying to keep herself from staring at China, who stared back as well, but was failing miserably. "She reminds me of you," the other Asian nation whispered to China. Since China was saying anything, he bent down and offered his hand. "I'm Japan," he greeting formally.

"And I'm Mina," she replied, shaking it. Finally China was snapped out of his speechless trance and also held out his hand.

"My name's China, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, trying his best not to sound awkward.

"The pleasure's all mine," Mina smiled encouragingly.

"You can call me Myles," he said to his ancestor, "And I take it, you're Britain? I've read so much about you!"

"R-really?" stammered the Brit, "Wow, I'm flattered." Then he turned to America. "What the bloody hell did you do this time?"

"Hey, I didn't do anything! These four just popped up at the Capitol building waiting for me," he said defensively. "They're nations from the future!"

"The future?" repeated Britain reluctantly.

"Yep! Tell 'em, Ryker," America prompted genially.

"Y-yeah, the future," Ryker confirmed, still uneasy about revealing the truth. "We come from about five centuries in the future."

"That's...incredible," Britain blinked.

"That is extraordinary, aru," China said, glancing down at Mina in interest.

"Five centuries..." Japan echoed, a troubled expression on his face. Mina didn't miss it, but thought it best not to ask.

"Wow, I've never met someone from the future!" Italy exclaimed.

"How did you guys get here, exactly?" Germany inquired, frowning.

"I brought us here," Myles explained, "Using my magic." To prove his point, he snapped his fingers and murmured an incantation, and a bright green spark flew from his fingertips.

"Blimey, you can do magic, too!" Britain perked up with renewed attention, glad to finally meet someone else like himself who could control supernatural talents.

"Cool, right?" America grinned. "So I was thinking that Myles could go with you, Britain, to your hotel suite, Kiera can stay with Italy, Mina can go with China, and Ryker can come with me for the night. Sound good?"

There was a pause while everyone considered this. Mina was nervous about splitting up with her friends, but then again, she wanted to get to know her ancestor privately for herself.

"Sure, why not?" Italy nodded merrily.

"Okay, well, see you guys at the meeting tomorrow!" America said, assuming everyone else felt the same way. He jumped back into the limo, followed by Ryker, who waved at his friends before shutting the door behind him. Then the limo drove away, leaving the rest of them standing there uncomfortably.

"Shall we get a cab?" Britain finally suggested to Myles, who nodded good-naturedly. He took out his phone and began to call for a taxi cab, and so Germany and China did the same.

When their rides came and it was time for them to go their separate ways, Myles gave Kiera and Mina an edgy wave and an hopeful thumbs up, but for some reason, Mina was only able to return that gesture half-heartedly.

* * *

"The Eldon Luxury Suites," Britain exhaled as he and Myles walked through the lobby of high class hotel, with its expensive chandeliers and decorative ornaments.

"Wow, it's such a nice place," Myles commented, who felt as if this era could never cease to amaze him.

"I stay here a lot," Britain said casually, "Every time there's a meeting in Washington D.C."

"America is...an energetic country," Myles speculated, not wanting to come off too rude.

"To say the least," Britain chuckled. "It's hard to believe he's such a successful country, the way he goes about." While the Brit went to check in to their room, Myles thought about this for a moment.

When the older nation came back, he asked tentatively, "You raised him didn't you? I did some history research before I came here." It was partly a lie; the only "research" he did was reading the journal, but it did give him a lot of information of Britain's history.

"Yes," he sighed, "Ever since I found him that day in the New World and he chose me over France. But you saw him; you can only control him for so long." But then he glanced down at his descendant, and his mood lightened up, knowing the kid didn't want to hear about any of his failures. "But we got over the revolution. Did you read about the World Wars? We made a decent team, though I had to cover much of his slack."

"Yeah, I remember reading about the Battle for Britain during World War II! How the Royal Air Force came back and beat the Luftwaffe! It sounded so intense and epic," Myles gushed.

"I remember that," Britain chuckled as they stepped into the elevator. "So how's your magic? Reckon you're as good as me yet?"

"Oh, of course not," Myles shook his head, "You're like a master! You'd probably defeat me within seconds. Besides, there's not much magic in the future, so there's been no one to help me practice."

"I could help you practice," Britain offered enthusiastically, "No one else around here ever appreciates my magic, so I'd love to teach you what I know."

"Really?" Myles asked excitedly. All he had ever read about magic had come from Britain's spell books, but learning from the real deal was ten times better.

"Of course. Say, have you ever read Harry Potter?" Myles shook his head in response as the elevator dinged and came to a stop. "Well, I'll have to get it for you someday, it's a good read."

* * *

"So this is where you live," Ryker said aloud as they walked inside the two-story house in the suburban of Washington D.C. It was furnished with a definite fun sense of style, with beanie bag chairs sent in front of the plasma screen TV and gaming systems stacked on the shelves.

"Yeah, it's not much," America said, "My real mansion is actually New York, but this is where I stay when I host meetings here."

"Not much? I think it's awesome!" Ryker objected, partly wondering what a mansion was, partly remembering how primitive his adobe shacks were five centuries in the future.

"You really think so? Thanks, dude! So what do you want to do now?"

"Me? Oh, I'm good with anything. What do you want to do?"

"Hmm..." America thought about it for a moment. "Do they have Call of Duty in the future?"

"No, never heard of it," Ryker cocked his head to the side.

"Alright, dude, I know what we're going to do!" Immediately America set up one of the gaming systems and handed Ryker one of the controls. After a quick tutorial, Ryker quickly learned which buttons did what, and the game was on. Now, Modern Warfare was a very strange game to him; the weapons used to destroy the enemy seemed unreal and it struck him as a violent game. But then he reminded himself that it was only a video game, just a fun past time. After a couple of games, his stats actually began to rival America's, until they reached the point when they were tied. "You're a fast learner!" he laughed.

The two played for a couple of hours, until Ryker finally realized there was no way he was going to beat his ancestor as this kind of game, and so America suggested they watch a movie. Ryker vaguely remembered Kiera explaining motion pictures from her book, and nodded. "What movie?"

"Let's watch Paranormal Activity," America grinned. "Can you handle a scary movie?"

"Of course I can," Ryker laughed haughtily, "I'm not scared of anything!"

About an hour later, America and Ryker were squished up against each other, Ryker with a blanket over his head, America clutching a pillow for dear life, both shivering with wide eyes. Every five minutes, one of them would scream, or both. Ryker knew that it would be best to just turn off the TV, but that would be proving that he was a wuss, right? So the two promised themselves they would watch the whole thing through. And they did. But that didn't mean they slept without a nightlight.

* * *

Kiera plopped down on one of the hotel room's two beds. The mattress was so fluffy and the blanket was so soft. Never before had she slept on such a comfortable fabric. Italy took the other bed and relaxed. "Ve! This feels so nice," he sighed with relief.

Frankly , Kiera was feeling extremely jittery about meeting her ancestral nation. She really wanted to know what he'd be like. So much so that she could keep still. She went from bouncing on the bed to jumping on the bed . It was enjoyable actually, she had never had a nice enough bed to jump on. Soon she got adventurous enough to spring herself into the air and attempt to do flips. Italy laughed as he watched her for a while, then began to jump on his own bed. After a moment, they began launching themselves to the other bed, just leaping for the fun of it. But then, Germany entered (he had been given the spare key) and when Italy jumped up and waved at him, he accidently used to much force and ended up ramming his head into the ceiling. He fell down on the bed on his back, shaking his head dizzily. Kiera cracked up, laughing so hard she held her stomach, and Germany rolled his eyes.

"Italy! Can't you even act like an example for the younger nation?" he barked.

"An example? But that's your job!" Italy said, carefree as usual.

Germany just sighed and turned to Kiera. "I hope the future has more competent nations," he grumbled.

"Actually, I think the future needs more nations like Italy," Kiera said thoughtfully. "So we're going to a world meeting tomorrow? What are those like?"

"Oh, they're really fun," Italy told her, "We get to see the other nations and talk to old friends!"

"Italy..." Germany rolled his eyes. "That's not what these meetings are for! That's why nothing ever get done!"

"I just remembered!" Italy piped up, "You haven't met Romano yet! He's going to be so happy when he finds out we have a sister!"

"I wouldn't bet on it," Germany mumbled, but Italy didn't hear him. "Anyway, you two should get to sleep, we have an early meeting tomorrow."

When he left, Kiera said, "He's very by-the-book, isn't he?"

"Germany? Yeah, but he's my best friend," Italy said with blissful pride. "Every time I get in trouble, he's always there to help!"

"That's nice of him," Kiera commented, understanding Italy's platonic feeling towards the German. He may seem hard and stern on the outside, but she could tell there was a softer side of him underneath those muscles. Then Italy spent the next hour or so telling her about their adventures, and Kiera particularly like the story about the shooting star during the war.

"Your wish actually came true?" Kiera asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, Britain got a headache and went home!" Italy claimed, and Kiera believed him. Her ancestral nation had a innocent, fun-loving air about him that seem to radiate into her. She loved his happy-go-lucky personality and easy-goingness. As she drifted off to sleep, she found herself wondering how someone like this could engage into nuclear warfare.

* * *

Originally, Japan and China were going to stay on different floors in the same hotel, but now that Mina was with them, they got adjacent rooms so they could easily converse with each other. When they finally reached their rooms, it was decided that Mina would share China's room, and so while China was unpacking his luggage, Mina sat on the bed patiently. "What's that?" Mina asked when he took out a large, white, stuffed cat and laid it on the bed.

"That's Shinatty-chan," he said, watching as she ran her fingers over the furry doll. "It's been a long time since I raised a nation, all my little siblings are grown up now," he chuckled. "I remember when Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan were small."

"You raised all of them by yourself?" Mina inquired, impressed.

"Pretty much, aru," he said as Japan knocked on the door connecting their rooms. Mina, being helpful, hopped off the bed and let him in with a pleasant smile.

"Have you made yourself comfortable?" Japan asked her politely.

"Yep," she nodded, "This is a gorgeous hotel!"

"If you think this place is grand, wait until you see my pagodas," China said lightly. "After the meetings, I'll have to show you around Beijing at the least."

"The world must look so different to you now," Japan tilted his head slightly in curiosity.

"That's an understatement," Mina transitioned smoothly, "But I am a bit nervous about the meeting tomorrow. I didn't read much about diplomacy yet..."

"Don't even worry about it," China waved off, "It's not very productive anyway. They dissolve very quickly."

"You don't have to speak," Japan added. "Probably best to stay quiet anyway."

"Yes, the Europeans tend to bicker, so just keep to yourself, and you should be fine," China told her. He seemed to notice that he was beginning to sound pessimistic, and quickly amended, "But when you go tomorrow, I can introduce you to our fellow nations of the East. They'll be delighted to meet you!" Mina cheered up at this, wondering what the other Asian nations would be like.

"So what is the future like? What brings you to the past?" Japan questioned with those indecipherable eyes of his.

Uh oh. Mina knew she was treading dangerous waters since she had to refrain from reveal the truth about the nuclear crisis. "A lot has changed," she said, going with the half-truth half-lie answer. "Myles wanted to put his magic to the test, and we wanted to meet our ancestral nations."

"You came all the back in time just to meet us?" China asked dubiously.

"There's no better way to learn history," Mina said innocently.

"Five centuries," Japan recalled. Mina nodded, as if he was asking a question, but he wasn't looking at her anymore. Then Mina yawned subconsciously; it really had been a long day for her. "I suppose it's time to go to bed," Japan said, retain his formality. "Good night." With a slight nod, he went back to his suite and shut the door behind him.

"You're lucky to have so many siblings," Mina speculated. "I don't have much family when I come from." Truthfully, Mina didn't have any true family during her time period; she was one of the only nations to the East, and she hadn't encountered any of the others until Myles had found her. She recalled those lonely decades travelling her lands, trying to understand what it meant to be a nation. If she had had a brother or a sister, those years could have been much more endurable.

"I suppose, but don't be too jealous," China exhaled sadly. "We're not as close as we make it out to be." At this, Mina frowned, trying to decipher what he meant by that last statement. Did he mean himself and Japan? Or himself and all the other Asian nations? China glanced up to see her troubled expression, and changed his own expression into a more hopeful one. "But, if you want, I can be your big brother, if that will make you feel better."

Mina beamed at him. "You already are!" China chuckled as he tucked her next to Shinatty-chan. As Mina turned on her side to hug the soft stuffed animal, a small smile lingered on her lips. But just before she fell asleep, she remembered Japan's words. "_Five centuries_..." And suddenly she realized why he was disturbed by those words. If she belongs to a time period five centuries from now, than that means China doesn't exist five centuries from now. And Japan was smart enough to put two and two together. _He knows...he knows that he and his fellow nations don't exist five centuries from now._

* * *

From the Author: Thanks for your time! Hope you enjoyed it so far! Right now the story is light, but it will get darker fast, so prepare yourselves ;) Thanks again and please review!


	4. Chapter 4: Nearer to War

Disclaimer: Do not own hetalia!

* * *

"Hey, Mina, time to wake up!" China said as he gently shook her shoulder. She yawned, and let go of Shinatty-chan to rub her eyes. "The world meeting is in two hours. After you get dressed we can get some breakfast."

"Alright," she said, sitting up, but then remembered, "But I don't have anything else to wear. We couldn't bring anything with us when we came here."

"I figured as much since you don't have any luggage, aru," China nodded, a small smile on his face, "So I went out this morning while you were asleep and bought you this!" He held up a black, long-sleeved mandarin dress with black tights to go under it.

"Wow, it's so pretty! Thanks!" Mina gushed, eyes twinkling. She jumped out of bed immediately to take her new outfit and went to the bathroom to change. When she came out, the sleeves were much to long for her arms, but China said it was supposed to be like that.

"Now you match me," he smiled, indicating his white mandarin collared jacket with black slacks. "Oh, and don't forget this," he added, placing a black cap that sat perfectly on her head between her two buns. China stepped back for a moment to get a better look at her whole uniform. "Something's missing...Aha!" He walked over the decorative vase that sat on the table and picked out a large, pink flower. After cutting the stem shorter, he carefully stuck it into Mina's left bun. "There!"

Mina bounded to the mirror to see herself. The flower really did add a splash of color to her outfit, and it looked adorable. She beamed subconsciously; back in her time period she would never be able to get her hands on such nice clothing, not to mention having the time to even think about fashion. "I love it," she flashed her ancestor a toothy grin. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Mina let Japan inside.

"Ready?" he asked. Japan wore a white suit over a light blue dress shirt paired with a navy tie, and Mina could help but notice how neat and slick it looked on him.

China nodded. "There's a tea shop near the conference center that I'd like to try, aru."

"Okay, let's go!" Mina bubbled, excited for big day. Before she had met China, there had been a terrible case of butterflies in her stomach, but getting to know her ancestral nation made her feel optimistic. The three took a taxi to the tea shop that China had mentioned, called the Lucky Cat, and decided to sit down at an outside table in the morning sun. China went to go order their food, leaving Japan and Mina together at the table. Mina noticed that the Japanese nation didn't speak as much, but was content with peaceful silence.

"You don't seem to like me very much," Mina said softly after a moment. It wasn't completely true; Mina didn't actually think that he had an ill will against her, but she wanted to force him to open up talk to her.

Japan blinked, and shook his head. Politely, he said, "That's not the case at all. It's just that..." He trailed off, unsure if he wanted to explain himself to her for fear of being rude.

"You're unsettled by our presence," Mina guessed sincerely.

"You said you came from five centuries in the future, correct? If you're China's descendant...if you came here to meet us, then that means we've...passed away by then, doesn't it?"

Mina didn't answer, but stared down at the table. Japan sighed, but then to her surprise, he smiled. "I don't blame you at all. I suppose we've been around long enough. I'm definitely not as young as I used to be."

Even though he was trying to cheer her up, Mina still didn't know how to answer to this. But luckily, she was saved from having to reply when China returned with their tea and hot cakes. He also brought with him a bundle of grayish paper filled with words and black and white pictures. She wanted to ask exactly what it was, but was embarrassed to. Fortunately, Japan asked him, "Is this today's newspaper?"

China nodded. "It's mainly about American affairs though." Curiously, Mina read the headline on the first page. "Unemployment Increases as Economic Depression Worsens," it read.

"Economic Depression?" Mina read aloud in puzzlement.

"Yes," China frowned sadly. "One of the worst ones the world has seen. Worse than the Great Depression. Europe's economy has also slumped. Even Asia has been hard hit."

"That'll be one of the major topics covered in today's meeting," Japan said, "Maybe everyone will be serious this time."

"Sounds like you don't find these meetings particularly enjoyable," Mina titled her head to the side.

"Enjoyable? They're not even helpful, at all really," China shook his head wistfully, "Honestly they are a waste of my time, aru."

"But this one might be different," Japan said tentatively. "And it's mandatory for the G8 anyway." He checked his cell phone for the time. "We should go soon."

The other two nodded in agreement, China sipping the last of his tea, Mina swallowing the rest of her hot cake. Despite what China and Japan were saying, Mina knew that this meeting wouldn't be a waste of _her_ time.

* * *

Ryker had just finished putting on his slick red tie when the door bell rang. Since America was still in the bathroom brushing his teeth, Ryker took the liberty of answering the door for him. When he opened it, he found himself staring at a nation that looked so extremely similar to America, Ryker rubbed his eyes to make sure that his vision was alright. It was; the only differences between his ancestral nation and this one were his violet eyes and curl instead of cowlick. He also had a humbler, more modest atmosphere about him.

"A-America?" He stammered, looking down at Ryker in shock. "What happened to you? Did Britain cast a spell on you or something? Don't worry, if we get to the meeting early enough, we can convince him to change you back before it starts! You definitely can't host the meeting looking like this..."

"What?" Ryker asked, confused at first, but then realized why this nation believed him to be America. "Oh, I'm not him. I'm Ryker!"

"Huh?"

Before Ryker could explain, America came up next to them, "Hey bro! I see you've met my little bro!" The other nation just looked from Ryker, to America, back to Ryker.

"We...have a little brother now? He's a new country?" His voice was wary and surprised.

"Well, sorta," America tried to explain, "He's from the future, so he's not a really a country yet."

"Nice you to meet you," Ryker smiled politely.

"Oh, nice to meet you too, Ryker, I'm Canada," the other nation nodded, still regarding him carefully. Then he turned to America, "You can explain this to me on the way to conference building. You don't want to be late when you're the host."

"But if I go on time, my entrance won't be as noticeable," America chuckled.

Canada sighed, "Seriously, Al. Any meeting but this one..." His weary tone made America's cheery expression fade in a regretful one, puzzling Ryker.

"What's so special about this meet?" Ryker asked, knowing that the war crises weren't scheduled to happen yet, but worried that Myles's information was inaccurate.

"...Global affairs aren't their best right now," America said reluctantly.

"That's why we should go now," Canada pressed anxiously. "Is he coming?" He gestured to Ryker.

"Yep, I promised he could sit and listen," America nodded. Canada glanced at the young nation for a moment, but then decided there was no time to spare contemplating it.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

If it weren't for Germany, Italy and Kiera would have slept right through the meeting. But since he was always on top of things, he made sure the two were awake on time and ready to go. After a quick stop at the cafe for coffee and breakfast, during which Italy was describing what life was like in Venice to a fascinated Kiera, they headed straight for the American conference building. Not surprisingly, they were the first to arrive, and so Germany began preparing by laying out his papers at the head of the table and planning what issues would be discussed first. Meanwhile, Italy was able to snatch a pen and one of his pieces of paper, and used the back the teach Kiera how to play tic-tac-toe.

A few minutes later, Britain and Myles entered the long conference room, and they greeted each other cordially. "Good to see you again, Myles," Kiera said happily. Myles nodded and returned the compliment, smiling broadly, but Kiera noticed something off about him. Sure, there was a distinct smile on his face, but his eyes weren't reflecting that smile at all. They seemed urgent, panic-stricken even. Kiera wanted to ask what was wrong, but knew Myles was keeping this a secret for a reason. Moments later, Japan, China, and Mina floated in casually.

"You two look nice today," Mina told Kiera and Myles as the older nations exchanged formalities. "Your dress is pretty, green looks good on you, Kiera! And that suit makes you look official, Myles."

"Thanks, you look pretty authentic yourself," Kiera grinned, though Mina wasn't exactly sure what she meant by that. When Myles glanced at the door once more, he was relieved to see Ryker and America enter.

"Who's that third nation with them?" Mina whispered.

"What third nation?" Myles asked, confused. But when he looked harder, he saw that there was indeed a third nation behind Ryker, who bore a striking resemblance to America. "I don't know," he shrugged.

"Hey guys!" Ryker bubbled excitedly as he joined their conversation. "This is way cool!"

"So who are those three?" asked the nation that looked like America, "More future nations?"

America nodded. "Yeah, we'll do a huge introduction when everyone gets here so we don't have to repeat ourselves!"

"Okay, but before we do that," Myles began, "Before the meeting begins, Kiera and I have to go to the bathroom, so we don't have to go during the meeting." Kiera blinked, surprised, but then caught on and nodded quickly. Myles threw Mina and Ryker an expectant look.

Mina took the hint. "Yeah, Ryker and I will go to, just to be safe," she added.

"Alrighty, its down the hall to the left, first two doors on your right," America said, and the younger nations quickly left the conference room and stopped just in front of the bathrooms.

"So what's this about?" Kiera inquired, raising an eyebrow at Myles.

"Wait, you mean you don't actually have to go to the bathroom?" Ryker asked. Mina rolled her eyes.

Myles took a deep breath and took out Britain's journal from inside his blazer. "After I fell asleep last night, Britain must've written in his journal."

"You mean that journal?" Mina asked, pointing to the one in his hands.

"No, I mean his current one. I guess this one is the same journal...but I mean he wrote in the one he has presently. So not this exact one," Myles explained.

"Oh okay, isn't that a good thing though? Since he wrote his account and preserved the history of what happened during this time era, we were able to go back in time to stop it, right?" Kiera frowned, not liking Myles's disparaging expression.

"Well, it is a good thing that he's keeping records of what's happening, but...the journal's changed," he said grimly.

"Changed?" Ryker echoed. "How?"

"He wrote about us! We're in this journal now," Myles exclaimed, "Because we came back in time, we've already changed the past. And so his journal's written accounts have changed."

"So his journal entries don't match what they did before? They aren't the same ones we read before we time jumped?" Mina asked for clarification.

"Yes," Myles confirmed. "They tell a completely different story."

"So did we do it already? Did we stop the nuclear war?" Kiera asked eagerly, "Did we changed the past just by being here?"

"No," he muttered, crestfallen, "We've sped up the process. War is declared next week."

"What?! We've made it _worse_?!" Mina gasped in alarm. "H-how can that be? We haven't done anything really, not yet at least!"

"I'm not sure. I read the new passage that describes today's meeting, and there's going to be a really hostile argument. I...I think we influence it somehow. This argument was recounted before, but it was solved. But now that we're here, it becomes inflamed."

"So...in the old reality, the one that existed before we set out to change the past, this argument is solved, but now that we're here, it pretty much blows out?" Kiera asked slowly.

"Time travel is so confusing," Ryker groaned, his shoulders slumping.

"What should we do?" Mina quivered, "Should we not go to the meeting then?"

"Then what would we tell the other nations? America really wants to introduce us," Ryker frowned. "And besides, the argument happens whether or not we go, so we should be there to do everything we can to keep it from worsening."

Everyone considered this for a moment. "Yeah, I think we should go for it," Myles nodded in agreement. "Our ancestors would want us to attend anyway."

"Okay, then we've still got this!" Kiera smirked enthusiastically. However, Myles didn't exactly share her optimism.

"But this means that we can't use the journal to know in advanced what's about to happen because of the chance that we might change something," he said, disheartened.

"But it proves that the future's not set in stone," Kiera insisted, trying to lift their spirits. "It means we can still change things for the better!"

"Yeah, wasn't the point to change the past anyway?" Ryker added thoughtfully, "We can still use the journal until it changes again. We just need to make sure we can change it to the point that the war stops."

"Right," Mina concurred. "If we only have a week, then we need to be extra vigilant and work carefully."

"Y-yeah," Myles nodded, trying to conceal his doubt, but Mina could read his ambiguous eyes. She was about to ask him what he was thinking, but the Kiera suggested they return to the conference room so they wouldn't miss anything.

"The meeting doesn't start for another seven minutes," Mina told her frankly.

"That's true, but that does mean that's when the arguing starts," Kiera replied with a frown. Mina nodded. That made sense, as long as there were nations in there, the disputes could start any minute now.

"What does the journal say about today's meeting?" Ryker asked, as Myles reread the entry more carefully.

"Britain wrote about our brief introductions to some of the major nations, and then the meeting begins like a normal one. For the first part, the only difference is our presence," he answered, but then his eyes came across a puzzling sentence. Frowning, he continued, "Here's the argument that wasn't recorded the same as in the previous reality strand...only, Britain doesn't go into detail about what it's about. He just says how obnoxious everyone was being and how no one was willing to compromise. It's very vague. But in particular...he becomes extremely angry with America and Spain, whoever that is."

"America? How could he be mad at America?" Ryker repeated dubiously, "He's awesome!"

The other three exchanged glances, not sure what to say to him. "W-we should get back now," Mina recommended. The others nodded uneasily before they headed back to the conference room, where their ancestors plus Canada, Germany, and Japan were conversing lightly. The four young nations took their place next to their respective ancestors, just as a few more nations, all dressed tidily in suits and ties, ambled in.

"_Fratello_!" Italy exclaimed at once, jumping to hug another Italian man who seemed to be his twin.

"H-hey! Get off me!" cried Italy's "fratello," who was flustered and annoyed. His golden eyes reflected his irritated expression, and Kiera noticed right away that he too had a curl atop his head.

"Calm down, Romano, be nice to your brother," said a cheerful, green-eyed nation with messy brown hair that had come in with Romano.

"Fratello! Guess what!" Italy bubbled, but then didn't leave his brother anytime to guess, "We have a new little sister!" He was practically leaping up with excitement at his own announcement as he pulled Kiera over and presented her to him. In her own enthusiasm, she beamed up at her other older brother, the southern part of Italy, waiting for his reaction.

"What the hell? That's impossible!" Romano sputtered as he met her eyes that so resembled his. This wasn't exactly the kind of reaction Kiera had expected, since Italy's personality seemed to contrast that of Romano's, but then the other green-eyed nation piped up exultantly.

"Wow, you're a girl-version of Italy? Nice you meet you, I'm Spain, but Romano calls me Boss, so you can too, if you'd like," he smiled delightfully. He spoke with a quaint accent that intrigued Kiera, as did those stunning green-eyes she had yet to get over.

"You are not my fucking boss anymore! And I do not call you that," Romano fumed, but his refute was just ignored.

"And I'm Kiera," she laughed as she shook Spain's hand. Meanwhile, Myles observed their encounter, wondering what was so "obnoxious" about Spain; he appeared to be sociable and friendly, as far as Myles could tell.

As Kiera, Spain, and the two Italian nations engaged into a humorous conversation, in which Spain was telling Kiera about the other two when they were toddler nations while Romano rebuffed everything that was said, more nations began to file into the room, waiting for the meeting to commence.

One nation with long, wavy blonde locks floated in with quasi-graceful steps, and immediately went to Britain and Myles when he locked eyes with them. Britain groaned involuntarily, making Myles curious to see who this nation was. "Well who do we have here, _mon cher_?" he asked in a dreamy voice.

"France, you frog, don't you dare even think about corrupting my new little brother," the Brit retorted snappishly.

"New little brother? How come you always get the new ones? You got America last time, I think it's my turn, is it not?" the Frenchman smirked haughtily, giving Myles a strange yearning look.

"I shudder to think how any nation raised by you would turn out," Britain shivered involuntarily, bringing Myles closer to himself and away from France subtly. Myles found that comment a bit harsh, but said nothing. He knew from Britain's journal that he and France had been competitive rivals since both nations were very young, a notion that Myles tried to imagine for himself. In the future, he had struggled just surviving in the contaminated environment, and hadn't even had neighboring countries to rival with. Obviously, he still had a lot to learn about foreign politics.

Concurrently, China caught sight of a few nations in particular, and took Mina by the wrist, "Let's go meet some of our family, aru."

"Okay," she squeaked in surprise as he led her to a group of nations that had begun to gather near the back of the room. Mina soon realized that all these nations in this cluster had similar, distinct features. Darker colored hair, oriental outfits much like hers, culture varying from the European nations. So this was the Eastern family of nations.

"Ni hao," China said after he cleared his throat to get the others' attention. Their conversations faded, turning their attention to their elder nation.

"Who's that with you, China?" one of them, a girl with long, flowing dark brown hair and one wild curly strand standing apart from the rest, asked. In her head, Mina took note of her gorgeous, pink qipoa and long, white skirt.

"Everyone, this is Mina, the newest addition to the Asian nations," he answered, half-smiling. Politely, Mina gave a quick bow of her head, and there was a collective intake of breath, out of shock, but was soon replaced by kind, welcoming smiles.

"This is Taiwan," China introduced, indicating the girl with the pretty qipoa, and then gestured to the others, "And Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Macau and Hong Kong."

"It's been a while since we've had any new nations in the east," Vietnam speculated, then added, "But it's a pleasure to have you here." When she shook her hand, Mina found that she like this nation; she was calm, intelligent, yet still polite and independent, just like Japan, and just like Mina strove to be.

"If you want to have fun, just holler, da ze!" The one called Korea declared exuberantly, "And we can do all the coolest things together! I hope the old man here hasn't sucked all the kid out of you yet." He laughed, and Mina couldn't help but giggle along with him. China just rolled his eyes and chose not to acknowledge that last comment.

"I think it would be a great idea if we all went out to eat tonight," Taiwan suggested earnestly, "You know, like we used to!"

A small smile grew on China's lips, and he glanced down at Mina, "I agree, it would be a good experience for Mina to get to know all of you better."

"I'd love to!" Mina beamed optimistically, "I can't wait already!" And she really couldn't. These eastern nations already seemed to be pleasant people, congenial and diverse. Their culture fascinated her, which was only natural, since these were the nations that had previously inhabited her land. In the future, she never had access to any records of her land's history, before her own existence, and the only history she ever learned was what the journal had recorded, which of course was one-sided and only from Britain's point of view. But now she could share eastern traditions with her ancestral nation and his neighboring countries, and no longer would she feel that lonely cultural void.

* * *

While the four juvenile nations and their ancestors were socializing with other nations, Japan decided that he couldn't wait until after the meeting to talk to Germany. The blonde nation had been shuffling through papers at the head of the table, organizing global issues to be discussed, and jumped a little when Japan tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "_Ja_? What is it, Japan?" Germany asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I...I need to speak with you, about the young nations," he said in a low voice.

"What about them?" Germany asked, searching the other's dark eyes, and find concern well hidden beneath them.

"It's just..." Japan started, trying to phrase his worry without sounding paranoid or cagey. "You do know what their presence here means, don't you?"

Germany narrowed his eyes with a knowing look. "What do you mean?" he asked slowly, but Japan got the feeling he knew the answer.

"I know you don't want to think about this, but you have to face it sooner or later," he sighed, "If they're the personifications of China, Italy, America, and Britain, then that means...it means that their time is limited."

The blonde pursed his lips. "Not necessarily. Mein bruder still walks the Earth. Actually he should be here any minute now."

"You and I both know that Prussia is a special case," Japan pointed out, "And even if all four of them shared his situation, then why would their descendants come back in time to meet them?"

The German nation threw a fleeting glance in Italy's direction, and for a brief moment, Japan caught the flicker of uneasiness in his blue eyes. "You're right...of course you're right. But...if they've...passed on by the time those kids come to be, then does that mean the rest of us have ceased to exist as well?"

"I don't know, honestly. I assume so, given that the children didn't know who we were."

"Then, we could ask them, couldn't we? How it ends?" Germany suggested, furrowing his brows, looking past his Japanese friend and at Kiera, who was busy laughing with Italy.

"But would you really want to know?" Japan shook his head. "Would you want to know how you die?"

At this, the German paused, and pondered the question for a moment. "If I knew, then perhaps I could prevent it from happening." Germany again shifted his gaze to Italy as he spoke, and Japan could see how much the prospect of the nations' demise troubled him, though he tried to hide it.

"I suppose," Japan titled his head to the side, "But for some reason I think knowing can only make it worse. Everything has to have an ending, doesn't it? Maybe it's inevitable."

"Inevitable?" Germany repeated, frowning, "I guess so, but I don't see how we can fade so soon. The economy is bad, that's true, but we can always recover, we've done so in the past. I don't know about you or the others, but right now I still feel robust, like I can last longer, unless there's some sort of untimely disaster."

The thought made shivers run down Japan's back. Disaster...he didn't like the idea. "We should talk about this later," he said quickly, "The meeting's going to start soon."

"Right," Germany nodded. But as Japan walked away to his seat, the blonde couldn't help but brood over their conversation. As an immortal entity, he didn't think about death too often, it just seemed like something he wouldn't encounter for a long, long time, so he didn't need to worry about it. But with the arrival of the young descendants, that encounter appeared to be scheduled for a lot sooner than he ever imagined.

* * *

From the Author: This is finally the last chapter of the introduction! We can finally plunge into the actual plot :) I can't wait! Anyways, thanks for reading and please review! I hope you enjoyed it! Until next chapter!


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